FIFE COUNCIL have defended their decision to keep buses running while secondary schools were closed due to strike action last week.

Teachers had walked out over pay for the second time last Thursday and were left shocked when they watched empty buses enter the school grounds, turn, and leave again in the morning.

The local authority says this was because members of the public can pay to use services and that some also operate runs for primary schools, which had remained open.

But teachers who were on picket lines outside the schools – Woodmill High and St Columba's – on Woodmill Road said they had stood "mouths agape" in disbelief that the buses had gone as far as to complete their journey.

One, who did not want to be identified, told the Press: "It was appalling that buses were still running when they knew that all schools were closed.

"Nobody was getting off them, they were going into the bus park, turning, and coming out again because they have a contract with Fife Council.

"It was absolutely bizarre – I mean in the light of what is going on at the moment with fuel prices and saving the planet, we have buses running empty into school car parks.

"There is no point in wasting fuel, it's more an environmental thing, if bus companies get a wee break for it and get extra money when they are not using the fuel.

"We just couldn't believe that the buses were coming in, the drivers themselves were tooting when coming past to support us but they must have felt ridiculous driving an empty bus into a car park.

"They probably went to wherever they would usually pick up – Queen Anne would be going as far as Saline; St Columba's would be going out as far as Ballingry – a huge amount of fuel would have been used in a double decker bus for all the schools in the Dunfermline area."

She continued: "In the light of everything else which is happening, it just seems ridiculous, that is your own wee bit which you can do which is going to make a benefit.

"Surely Fife Council can say to them, 'We don't need your buses today, it's not your fault the teachers have gone out on strike, you'll still get paid, but please don't pollute the environment, please don't waste the fuel'."

Tony McRae, Fife Council’s service manager for passenger transport services, confirmed that, unlike during the last teachers’ strike, many school buses did operate on Thursday.

He said: "There are several reasons for this, including fare-paying passengers can and do use these services, and we wanted to avoid any confusion for the travelling public as to whether local services which normally only operate on a school day would run.

"Primary schools are open today unlike the last strike and it is often the same buses that travel to a high school then on to do a primary school run. It is also the case that some of the operator's school buses go on to operate a local bus service after a school run.

"We therefore took the decision to operate all of the school services although we were happy to allow operators to reduce the number of buses operating along a route if they requested this, providing they catered for any fare-payers.

"Contractually, the council is paying for the school buses regardless of whether they operate or not so it gave us the assurance that if the strike was cancelled at short notice, operators were already geared up to operate."

Unlike during last month's strike from EIS members, schools across Scotland were closed last week on either Wednesday or Thursday depending on the council area.

The industrial action, staged by the Scottish Secondary Teachers’ Association (SSTA) and the NASUWT union, meant that every secondary school in Fife was closed to students.